Claude Monet’s iconic $35 million Water Lilies artwork to headline Christie’s auction at new Hong Kong headquarters

Make Way for Monet! In a once-in-a-century opportunity, Claude Monet’s Water Lilies painting will be the centerpiece of Christie’s first evening sale of 20th- and 21st-century art at its new Asia headquarters in Hong Kong. Nymphéas, a 127-year-old artwork that stayed within the Monet family for decades, could now adorn your halls. Monet’s beloved water-lily pond at his Giverny home inspired some of his greatest masterpieces (he created more than 250 paintings of the lilies), which now grace the walls of renowned museums like the Musée Marmottan Monet in Paris, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Kagoshima City Museum of Art, and the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna in Rome.

This remarkable 73.3 x 101 cm piece is poised to become one of the most valuable Western artworks ever offered at auction in Asia. Claude Monet’s Nymphéas are among the most influential images in modern art history and is the apt choice for the inaugural sale at Christie’s new Zaha Hadid-designed headquarters in the Henderson building.

“As one of the few remaining rare works from Monet’s pioneering first Water Lilies series still in private hands, with others residing in museums around the world, this painting is a true singular treasure,” said Cristian Albu, deputy chairman and head of 20th/21st century art at Christie’s Asia Pacific. “We are privileged to present this seminal painting to our discerning collectors in Asia, catering to the surging demand for iconic Western artworks of the highest caliber.” Monet’s 1897 artwork is geared to headline the inaugural sale at Christie’s on September 26.